How To Shorten Jacket Sleeves

By keeping some basic guidelines in mind, you can learn how to shorten jacket sleeves. No matter if you have purchased a new jacket or have received a hand-me-down from a friend, your jacket's sleeves may need to be shortened. By following this easy guide, your jacket will look great and fit perfectly in no time.

Use a seam ripper to carefully remove the cuffs from the jacket. Do this by sliding the sharp edge of the ripper underneath the stitches, and then pulling the stitches out. When doing this, be aware that you may need to remove several layers of stitches in order to completely remove the cuff from the jacket sleeve–however, for best results be sure to remove one layer of stitches at a time.

Use a fabric pen or pins to mark the desired length on the raw edge of the jacket sleeve. Remember to leave a half an inch allowance for sewing the cuff back onto the sleeve, as well as the amount of space that will be taken up by the actual cuff itself. Use a pair of sharp scissors to carefully cut the jacket sleeve to the desired length.

Put your sewing machine stitch length to the longest setting possible, and then slowly baste stitch twice around the newly cut edge. Leave a loose end of thread at both ends of the stitching.

Turn each of the cuffs inside out, and put over the bottom, cut portion of the sleeves. Pin the two edges together, and machine stitch. Once both cuffs have been securely attached, turn the jacket back right -side out, and press.